Telferner men arrested during raid

By
chirst
March 26, 2013 at 11:04 p.m.Updated March 25, 2013 at 10:26 p.m.

The Victoria County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team executed a four-hour drug raid Tuesday, arresting two Telferner men on suspicion of drug activity.

Gary Cervantes, 28, and his father, George Cervantes, 54, were arrested in the raid, as their family, including a 1-year-old child, watched from the front lawn.

Victoria County Sheriff's Office Capt. Herb Tucker said the charges are still to be determined, pending examination of the evidence discovered in the raid.

Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor said the investigation team found weapons and what appears to be narcotics in the house.

O'Connor said the raid was high-risk because Gary Cervantes had a warrant for his arrest and had a history of aggression with law enforcement.

The SWAT team waited for "go time" for most of the four hours, hoping the family would leave the home. By about 7 p.m., however, O'Connor said they had to act.

"They had no choice but to make entry," O'Connor said. "Each day you wait, the more they (criminal suspects) can continue their illicit conduct, which is selling drugs in Victoria. I don't think the public would want us to do that."

The raid was over in seconds, with the 10-member team busting into the small house with weapons drawn.

"We operate under 'shock and awe.' We want to hit so hard and heavy that they don't have time to respond to us," said Capt. Phillip Dennis of Victoria County Sheriff's Office, adding that the method also is for the suspects' safety, which discourages them from retaliating.

The team also escorted the child and a woman from the home.

"They are victims here, too," said O'Connor about the children. "We want to shield them as much as we can."

The U.S. Marshals Service and the Texas Department of Public Safety assisted with the raid.